Grouped by the question

Which check do you need?

Most people arrive with one specific worry about one specific handset. Find the worry below and it will point you at the lookup that answers it — and tell you whether that one costs anything.

Start with the IMEI Full reports

Two kinds of lookup live here and the difference is worth understanding before you click anything. The first kind reads the number itself — the check digit, the allocation code, the vendor prefix on a MAC address. Those cost nothing to run, so they are open to everyone with no account.

The second kind asks somebody else’s database a question about one specific handset: is this IMEI barred, is this iPhone still claimed, does this Galaxy have cover left. Every one of those is billed to us per answer, which is why they sit behind a free account with a daily allowance rather than being handed out to anyone who lands on the page. The badges below say which is which, and there is no surprise at the end.

Buying used

Confirm the number matches the phone, then check the two things that actually stop a handset working: an account lock and a network bar.

Something broke

Find out where the manufacturer’s record says you stand before you pay a repair shop — and what you keep once that cover has lapsed.

Locked out

Work out which lock you are looking at. Activation Lock, a Google account, a Mi Account and a network lock are four different problems with four different routes.

Lost the phone

Report it by IMEI so the next person to check finds the report, and keep a copy of that number somewhere other than the phone.

Reading the number

No account, nothing charged

IMEI check Free Validate the check digit and resolve the allocation code to a make and model → Test IMEI generator Free Luhn-valid numbers for your own test fixtures — they match no real handset → Checker for your own site Free Drop the IMEI lookup into a page you run, with one line of markup → Serial number format check Free Whether a serial is shaped the way that manufacturer shapes them → eSIM support Free Whether the model can hold a downloaded profile or needs a physical SIM → What am I browsing on Free What your own browser and operating system are reporting about this device →

Before you pay a seller

The checks that decide whether a used phone works

Is it still claimed? Account Activation Lock and Find My state on an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch → Is it barred? Account Whether the IMEI appears on the reported-lost registers carriers act on → Is it locked to a network? Account SIM-lock state on an iPhone, and which operator applied it → Who sold it? Account The operator and market a handset was first sold through → Is the Mi Account off it? Account Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco handsets carry their own binding on top of Android’s → Has Knox been tripped? Account The one-way Samsung flag that kills Samsung Pay and Secure Folder for good →

Cover and repairs

Where the manufacturer’s record says you stand

Apple coverage in full Account Activation, registration, AppleCare and repair entitlement in a single read → iPhone and iPad cover Account Service entitlement and cover dates for iOS and iPadOS hardware → iPad specifically Account Cellular and Wi-Fi-only models, where the serial is the identifier that works → Older Apple serials Account The 11 and 12-character serials used before Apple moved to randomised ones → Galaxy cover Account Samsung’s record, and the rights you keep after it has expired → Huawei cover Account P, Mate, Nova and MatePad — a separate record from Honor since 2020 → Honor cover Account Honor’s own post-split service network, which Huawei lookups do not see →

Locked out of a device you own

Four different locks, four different routes

Apple Activation Lock Priced Read the activation record first, then decide whether a removal request is possible → Android Google account lock Priced The “verify your account” screen after a reset, and what the free routes are → Network lock Priced Identify the operator first — most will release the lock themselves for nothing → Xiaomi Mi Account lock Priced Xiaomi’s anti-theft binding on Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco handsets →

If a phone has gone missing

Reporting, and network hardware lookups

Report a handset by IMEI Free Log a lost or stolen device so the next person to check the number finds the report → MAC address vendor Free Which manufacturer holds the address block a MAC address came out of → MAC address generator Free Well-formed addresses for lab and test use →

Subscriptions

Ongoing services rather than one-off checks

PhoneDecoded VPN Priced No-logs VPN with apps for phones, tablets and desktops — $10 a month →

“Account” means the lookup queries a live record that is billed to us per answer, so it needs a free sign-in and comes with a daily allowance. “Priced” means there is a fee shown on the page before you commit to anything. Everything marked free is genuinely free, with no account and no allowance.